Ed Foundation gala set for March 28

The Rockville Education Foundation will honor Dr. Drew Bogner and Mike Davey at its 25th Gala, set for March 28 at the Hempstead Golf and Country Club. 

This year’s Gala honoree is Dr. Drew Bogner, president of Molloy College. Recognized as a dynamic leader who combines both vision and drive, Bogner has reframed Molloy from a predominantly undergraduate college into a comprehensive, graduate degree-granting institution, adding 25 new Masters programs and tracks, and its first doctoral program.

Throughout his tenure, Bogner has extended the concept of community beyond the campus quad. He has worked closely with Rockville Centre’s Superintendent of Schools, Dr. William Johnson, on internship programs while also opening the athletic fields along Peninsula Boulevard to village athletes. So, too, has he focused on the arts: Opening in the fall of 2011, the Madison Theatre strives to be an incubator for creative artistic development while bringing first -class entertainment to the community.

As a role model for living a life of service, Bogner sits on a number of boards including the Commission on Independent Colleges & Universities, the Long Island Academy for Regional Stewardship, the NCAA Division II Academic Requirements Task Force and Tomorrow’s Hope Foundation.

“The Foundation and Dr. Drew Bogner share the same mission: to provide the best possible education for students, giving them unique opportunities to learn and to grow,” said Joel Ditchick, president of the Education Foundation’s Board of Directors. “Under his leadership, the bond between ‘town and gown’ has strengthened as our village reaps the benefits of Molloy College’s growth in size and stature.”

Dr. Bogner and his wife, Karen, make their home in Rockville Centre. Their daughter Lindsey has followed her father into the academic world and is a faculty member in the English Department at the University of Maryland. Their son Ryan, sharing his parents’ love of the arts, works in the world of theater production.

Mike Davey, a long-time teacher and coach at South Side High School is this year’s recipient of the Ruth Fins Award.